About Nine Years Theatre

An award-winning Mandarin theatre company in multicultural Singapore, Nine Years Theatre loves to dream up game-changing ways to do things. Since the beginning, we are invested in actor training in order to create work that is consistent in quality. We believe in entertaining our audience in ways that are honest and thoughtful. Our work is recognised for being relatable and culturally layered, possessing deep sensibility that speaks to audiences from all backgrounds. Fluid in scale and genre, we create performances ranging from re-imaginations of classics and adaptations of literary works, to original plays as well as interdisciplinary and international collaborations.

Nine Years Theatre Ltd. is a charity with IPC status. Nine Years Theatre is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Who Are We?

A major player in the Singapore Mandarin theatre scene, and one that intends to stay.

A champion of the practice and research of actor training.

A maker of productions that call your soul to work.

What Are Our Beliefs?

That we will not create without training, and that we will train in order to create.

That our work will always benefit from it being difficult to make.

That the audience should not merely consume art, but be given the opportunity to discuss art.

That Theatre is always about people.

What Are Our Aims?

To create high quality stage productions that are consistent, grounded and integrated.

To research, share and champion the notion and practice of actor training.

To engage the audience in the discussion of art.

To continuously develop new modes, methods and models in our work.

To build and promote a Singapore presence on international platforms.

What is Our Dream?

For Nine Years Theatre to have its own home with spaces for training, creation and performance.

Things We Create

Production: Re-imagination of classic works - We love to see things afresh!

Production: Original works - Take an idea, make a play.

Classes: Suzuki Method of Actor Training and Viewpoints - Pure, hard work.

Classes: Mandarin diction and speech - Because the audience deserves nothing lesser.

Training: Training platforms for the artistic community - Because it’s about sharing with the people.

Nine Years Theatre Ensemble (2014 – 2021)

Since the beginning, Nine Years Theatre had chosen the hard route of investing time and effort in the training of our actors. In 2014, the NYT Ensemble – a group of company actors who trained systematically and regularly over an extended period of time – was created. Subsequently, the NYT Ensemble demonstrated the strength of an ensemble model with the numerous productions it offered to the Singapore theatre scene. Through the years, it remained the only ensemble of this nature in Singapore.

In 2021, having worked with this model for 7 years, and in consideration of the evolving theatre ecology, Nine Years Theatre is keen to move forward by exploring other methods of creating work, while keeping our fundamental beliefs in actor training. As such, the company, with the Ensemble members, have come to a consensus to call an end to the NYT Ensemble.

Past members include: Mia Chee (founding member), Isabella Chiam, Hang Qian Chou (founding member), Neo Hai Bin (founding member), Rei Poh (founding member), Ellison Tan, Tay Kong Hui, Jean Toh (founding member), Timothy Wan.

Our Past and Present Partners

Commissioning Partners - Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Esplanade Huayi Festival, Singapore International Festival of the Arts, Macau Arts Festival, M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

Artistic Partners - SITI Company (New York), T.H.E. Dance Company (Singapore), The Necessary Stage (Singapore), Centre42 (Singapore), Contemporary Legend Theatre (Taiwan)

Corporate Partners - Pek Sin Choon, CornerStone Wines, Raffles Studio, BooksActually, City Book Room, Woods in the Books, Tolido's Espresso Nook, Hook on Books, Hotel Royal, M.A.C Cosmetics

Institutional Partners - TrendLit Publishing, Hong Leong Foundation, Lee Foundation, BinjaiTree, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Promote Mandarin Council, Institut Français Singapour, Ambassade de France à Singapour, Japan Foundation